San Francisco Seals
The San Francisco Seals were a minor league baseball team in San Francisco, California, that played in the Pacific Coast League from 1903 until 1957 before transferring to Phoenix, Arizona. They were named for the abundant California Sea Lion and Harbor Seal populations in the Bay Area. Early history Along with the Los Angeles Angels, Portland Beavers, Oakland Oaks, Sacramento Solons, and Seattle Indians, the Seals were charter members of the Pacific Coast League which was founded in 1903. The team played its home games at Recreation Park at Harrison and 8th Streets until it was destroyed in the 1906 earthquake. The mild climate of the West Coast allowed the PCL to play a much longer season than the majors and the other eastern professional baseball leagues. Seasons often ran 200 games or more, especially in the early years. In the 1905 season, the Seals set the all-time PCL record by playing in 230 games (Pacific Coast Baseball League Record Book 1903-1969, compiled by William J. Weiss, League Statistician; published by the PCL, 1969; p. 30). stadium.]]The Seals finished out the 1906 season playing home games at Freeman's Park in Oakland. A new Recreation Park was constructed at 14th and Valencia Streets for the 1907 season. The Seals won their first PCL pennant in 1909, finishing 13½ games over the runner-up Beavers. They won flags also in 1915, 1917, 1922, 1923 and 1925. During the 1914 season, the Sacramento Solons were moved to San Francisco, where they finished out the season playing as the San Francisco Missions, representing the city’s Mission District. The idea of a second team in San Francisco remained alive and, after the 1925 season, the Vernon Tigers were purchased by a group headed by San Francisco businessman Herbert Fleishhacker and moved to San Francisco and renamed the Mission Reds or simply the "Missions," again representing the Mission District as this team played its games five blocks away from Mission San Francisco de Asís. From 1926 through 1930, they played their home games at Recreation Park, playing at home while the Seals were on the road. In 1918, financially strapped owner Henry Berry put the San Francisco Seals up for sale and Charles H. Strub, George Alfred (Alfie) Putnam and Charles H. Graham each acquired a one-third share in the team. In 1931, the Seals moved to their own park, Seals Stadium, an 18,600-seat facility located at 16th and Bryant Streets. Seals Stadium was unusual in that it boasted not two but three clubhouses: one for the visitors, one for the Seals, and one for the Missions, who moved there with the Seals and were the Seals' tenants from 1931 through 1937, after which the team moved back to Los Angeles to become the Hollywood Stars in 1938. There were three breweries on the adjoining North West corners of Seals Stadium, which included Hamm’s, Budweiser and Lucky Lager. The Seals celebrated their inaugural year in Seals Stadium by winning the PCL pennant in 1931. The following year, Seals outfielder Vince DiMaggio arranged a tryout for his younger brother Joe. In 1933, Joe DiMaggio hit safely in 61 straight games,Great Baseball Feats, Facts and Figures, 2008 Edition, p.210, David Nemec and Scott Flatow, A Signet Book, Penguin Group, New York, NY, ISBN 978-0-451-22363-0 a harbinger of his 56-game hitting streak for the New York Yankees in 1941. The team won the pennant again in 1935. Change of control right|thumb|1940 cap logo In 1945, a controlling interest in the team was purchased by businessman Paul Fagan, with the stated intention of bringing major league baseball to the West Coast by having the Pacific Coast League becoming the nation’s third major league. He spent thousands of dollars upgrading Seals Stadium to perceived major league standards. He hired former major league player Lefty O'Doul, a native San Franciscan and fan favorite, as manager. Though the Seals won the pennant in 1946, subsequent teams under Fagan’s watch did not fare so well, typically finishing in the second division. Rival clubs did not buy into Fagan’s major league ambitions. Rather, they established working agreements with major league teams, and fared better than did the independent Seals. Fagan gave up and sold his interest in the Seals, who became an affiliate of the Boston Red Sox. After their Bay Area rival, the Oakland Oaks, moved to Vancouver, BC after the 1955 season, the Seals won their last PCL pennant in 1957, which proved to be their final year as well. During the 1957 season, the New York Giants announced their move to San Francisco for the 1958 season, and the Seals were forced to relocate as a result. The Seals moved to Phoenix, Arizona, for the 1958 season. The team became a minor league affiliate of the new San Francisco Giants, and were renamed the Phoenix Giants. This franchise then moved to Tacoma, Washington, from 1960 to 1965; but returned to Phoenix for the 1966 season. The team remained in Phoenix until the MLB expanded in 1998 with the Diamondbacks. This forced a move of the former Seals franchise. In a complicated deal the franchise became the Tucson Sidewinders, displacing the existing Tucson Toros, and affiliated with the Diamondbacks. The Giants' affiliation was transferred to the displaced Tucson AAA franchise, which became today's Fresno Grizzlies. In 2009, the Tucson Sidewinders franchise moved to Reno, Nevada. They retained their affiliation with the Arizona Diamondbacks as the Reno Aces, and play their home games at Aces Ballpark. The Tucson Toros returned under the same ownership that owned the Sidewinders, but are not affiliated with a major league club, and play their home games at Hi Corbett Field. The Giants played their 1958 and 1959 home games in Seals Stadium, moving to Candlestick Park in 1960. Seals Stadium was subsequently torn down to make way for a White Front store. When this chain of stores went out of business, the building stayed empty for some years. It was finally turned into a car dealership and later a Safeway grocery store. The legacy of the Seals lives on in the Giants' mascot Lou Seal, as well as in a statue of the Seals' cartoon mascot (c. 1947) at AT&T Park. Affiliations The Seals were largely independent of major league farm systems except for the following affiliations: Notable alumni *Harry Feldman, Major League Baseball pitcher *Frank Crosetti, Major League Baseball infielder *Joe DiMaggio, Major League Baseball outfielder *Jack Mealey (born 1899), minor league baseball catcher, who also managed in the minor leagues and served as president of the Sooner State League *Gene Woodling, Major League Baseball outfielder * Elmer Orella (b.4/15/1921 d. 2/15/2012), a left-handed pitcher for the Seals under O'Doul from 1944-1946 References *Kelley, Brent P.. The San Francisco Seals, 1946-1957. McFarland & Company, Inc., Jefferson, NC, 1995. ISBN 0-7864-1188-0. *O'Neal, Bill. The Pacific Coast League 1903-1988. Eakin Press, Austin TX, 1990. ISBN 0-89015-776-6. *Snelling, Dennis. The Pacific Coast League: A Statistical History, 1903-1957 McFarland & Company, Inc., Jefferson, NC, 1995. ISBN 0-7864-0045-5. External links *Minor League Baseball's "Top 100 Teams" entry on the 1925 San Francisco Seals (team #10) *Minor League Baseball's "Top 100 Teams" entry on the 1922 San Francisco Seals (team #44) *Minor League Baseball's "Top 100 Teams" entry on the 1928 San Francisco Seals (team #50) *Minor League Baseball's "Top 100 Teams" entry on the 1909 San Francisco Seals (team #71) Category:Minor League Baseball teams Category:Pacific Coast League teams